Partition structure for containers



April 15, 1958 H. P. LAuRlTzEN PARTITION STRUCTURE FoR CONTAINERS FiledJuly 2e, 195e United States Patent O PARTI'I'HGN STRUCTURE FORCONTAINERS Herman Peter Lauritzen, Allentown, Pa., assignor to StoneContainer Corporation, Chicago, Ill.

Application July 26, 1956, Serial No. 600,215

Claims. (Cl. 229-15) This invention relates generally to containers ofthe type in which merchandise is packaged and transported, such ascorrugated paperboard cartons, and more particularly, relates to a novelunitary partition structure for such containers.

Where receptacles of relatively small size are to be packaged andshipped by the manufacturers, it is more practical and economical topackage a plurality of individual receptacles in a single container. Tofacilitate packaging and to prevent damage to the receptacles en route,a partition structure is employed to form separated compartments on theinterior of the container for the individual receptacles. This practiceis familiar in the shipping of paint products, for instance, or foodjarsand many other examples which will readily occur to those skilled inthis art. Although there are available partition structures employed inthe packaging and shipping of merchandise of this general nature, manydisadvantages have been attendant therewith, among which are, lack ofsuitable simplicity of fabrication and assembly therefor, lack of ahighly economical structure and lack of a unitary partition structurewhich occupies a relatively smaller volume of space until erected foruse in the container.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of this invention to provide apartition structure for such containers which by reason of its novelconstruction will substantially eliminate the disadvantages hereinaboveenumerated.

Another important object ofthe invention is to provide a unitarypartition structure of the character described which may be die cut fromlarger sheets of material in a simple operation conducive to highlyeconomical manufacture thereof by mass-production techniques.

Another object of the invention is to provide a partition structure ofthe character described which comprises a pre-formed sheet member ofcorrugated paperboard or equivalent planar flexible material which hasbeen scored and cut in accordance with a predetermined pattern whichenables the sheet member to be erected swiftly and easily to providesaid partition structure completely ready for insertion in thecontainer'.

Another object of the invention is to provide a unitary partitionstructure of the character described which when erected is generally ofcruciform configuration and comprising two pairs of upright panels orwalls in which each pair has the walls thereof conjoined substantiallyat right angles one to the other, and said pairs of conjoined panels orwalls are interconnected along the upper edge respectively of a panel ofeach pair.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent as thedisclosure evolves. To contribute to a full understanding of theinvention, a preferred embodi ment has been described in detail in thespecification and illustrated in the accompanying drawing. However, itis contemplated that minor variations are possible without departingfrom the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings:

`Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the partition structure tive to bothslit 30 and score line 32.

,s 2,830,749 Ice Patented PI- 15: 1958 embodying the invention and shownin solid lines installed in a container illustrated in phantom outline.

Fig. 2 is av perspective View of the partition structure illustratingthe manner in which same is erected from a preformed blank.

Fig. 3 is a side elevational View of the partition structure in erectedcondition and Fig. 4 is a side elevational of said partition structurerotated approximately ninety degrees from its disposition illustrated inFig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary top plan view of the erected partitionstructure.

Fig. 6 is a plan View of the pre-formed sheet or blank from which thepartition structure is erected.

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6, but of a modified form.

Referring now to the drawing, the partition structure embodying theinvention has been designated generally by the reference character lil.The function performed by the partition l0 may be recognized from Fig. 1where same is shown installed on the interior of a container seen inphantom outline l2to provide individual compartments 14 of generallyrectangular cross-section. Also illustrated in phantom outline 16 arereceptacles or cans seated in each compartment, each receptacle 16 beingseparated from the receptacle stored in the adjacent compartment by avertical wall or panel provided by the partition structure 10. Thecontainer l2 may comprise the familiar corrugated paperboard type ofcontainer although the invention is in nowise limited by reason of thematerial from which the container is formed.

Partition structure l0 is formed from any suitable sheet material suchas corrugated paperboard specifically illustrated in the drawing,although other materials such as pressed board, and the like arepracticable. Referring to Fig. 6, the structure prior to being erectedmay be seen to comprise a rectangular blank whose dimensions are relatedto the interior dimensions of the container with which the same is to beused. Although not limited thereto, the particular blank illustrated isto be used in a container having a square cross section considered in ahorizontal plane, and hence the blank is a geometrically completerectangle. This will be explained in more detail hereinafter.

For purposes of description, parallel side edges 20 and 22 will beconsidered arranged in the length and parallel side edges 24 and 26arranged in width of the blank 18. Substantially midway between the sideedges 2t) and 22 and parallel therewith are cut a pair of slits 28 and30, the slit 2S opening at one end thereof to the side edge 24 and theslit 3l) opening at one of its ends to the side edge 26. The slits 28and 30 are aligned one with the other and terminate attheir oppositeextremities spaced from the transverse center of the blank.Perpendicular to the slits 28 and 30 and positioned on the transversecenter line of the blank are a pair of score lines 32 and 34, thescoring 32 terminating at one end thereof at the side edge 20 and thescoring 34 terminating at one end thereof at the side edge 22. Theopposite ends of the scoring each terminate spaced from the longitudinalcenter line of the blank and said lines of scoring 32 and 34 are alignedone with the other.

The end 36 of slit 30 and end 38 of scoring 32 are connected by astraight slit 40 which will be seen to be a continuation of the slit 3i)and angularly offset rela- The slit 42 similarly connects the oppositeends t4 and 46 of the slit 28 and score line 34 respectively with theslits 42 and 4i) being parallel in their angular disposition. The ends44 and 36 of the slits 28 and 30 respectively are joined by a weakened'line of fold 48 comprising a straight line of spaced apartperforations. The area A defined between the Yslits 40 `and 42 and.imagina-ry lines projected beeY 3 tween ends 36 and 46 and ends 38 and44 may be seen to form a parallelogram whose geometric Vcenter likewiseis the geometric center of the blank 18.

Thus, as seen in Fig. 6, the slits 28 and 30 and score lines 32 and 34divide the blank 1S into equally dimensioned panels. 50a, Stib, 50c and50d, the panels 50a and Sub being physically joined along the fold line32 common to a side edge of each and the panels 50c and 50d likewisebeing joined along the fold 4line 34 common to a side edge of each. Thepanels 50a and 50d which appear `disposed cater-corner one relative tothe other are physically joined Iby the parallelograrn portion A. Itshould be apparent that the blank 18 may be preformed in a simpledie-cutting operation conducive to economical mass-productiontechniques. In its preformed, liat condition, the blank 18 may bestacked for storing in small volumes of space. It should also beappreciated that the overall size of the blank 18 may be varied inaccordance with the dimensions of the container 12 in which same is tobe used.

Referring to Fig. 2, the manner of erecting blank 1S for installation asa partition structure in container 12 is shown. The sequence of stepsdescribed hereinafter is only suggestive. The panel Stil: is bent alongfold line 32 in a direction toward panel 50a, and the panel Stic is bentin the same direction along fold line 34 toward panel 56a', until thetwo pairs of conjoined panels are arranged at right angles one to theother. The blank is then folded along perforated line 48 in a directiondisposing the diagonal halves of parallelogram A on opposite sides ofline 48 back to back and arranging said panels in a vertical dispositionas seen in Figs. 3 and 4. The intermediate portion A as folded overalong line 48 is seen at 52 in Fig. 3. Thus, in erected position, thepanels 50c and Sb are co-planar with the fold 52 lying in the sameplane. Likewise, panels 50a and 50d are co-planar.

The partition lil may be seen to comprise two pairs of substantiallyrectangular panels or Walls, the panels or walls of each pair beingconjoined along a fold line common to a side edge of each and arrangedat right angles one to the other. Also, one panel or wall of cach pairis joined one with the other along the top edges 53, 53 thereofrespectively, although it will be appreciated that the designation topis merely arbitrary. The erected partition structure may then beinserted into the interior of the container most conveniently by holdingsame by the folded-over connecting portion 52 and thereby dividing theinterior of container 12 into four separate compartments 14 asillustrated in Fig. l. The panels Sila, Sub, 50c and 50d cooperate toform the separating vertically arranged interior walls of thesecompartments, the side walls of the container forming the exterior wallsof these compartments. With suitably selected dimensions for the saidpanels, each panel may have a side edge thereof abutting a side wall ofthe container on the interior thereof, the frictional engagement therebyafforded assisting in preventing collapse or displacement of thepartition structure in the container. This is apparent in Fig. l wherevertical. side edge 54 of panel Stic abuts the interior of the adjacentside wall of the container 12. Of course, the vertical height of thepartition structure will be selected to permit the container to beclosed over the partition structure.

As previously stated the partition structure illustrated is intended foruse with a container 12 whose configuration in plan is square. Thereason for this is that the lengthof the blank 18, including the slits28 and 30 and the perforated score line 48 will extend across the container 12, one of the resulting cruciform arms being the back to backfolded panels 53a and 56d, and the other of the resulting cruciform armsbeing the right angle bent and aligned panels Stlb and 50c, but ofcourse having their dimension across the container 12 measured by thesame slits 28 and 30. As for the height of the partition struc- .4.ture, it is the same as the 'depth of the interior of the container withwhich the partition structure is to' be used. This dimension iscontrolled by the width of the blank 18, being one half of the width byvirtue of the manner in which the blank is folded. The usual package 16which will be housed in such structure will be substantially symmetrical`about its vertical axis, as for example, a paint cannister.

The invention is also applicable to use in containers whose planconfiguration is rectangular or for housing packages of irregularshapeoval cross section bottles, for example. In such case thelengthwise dimensions of either pair of cater-corner panels is increasedby half the difference between the long and short dimensions of therectangular cross section container as shown in Fig. 7. lt will thusappear that the panels forming the shorter dimension of the cruciformare less by the broken line sections 60. Instead of cutting away theseportions 6i?, the blank 18' may be perfectly rectangular and the shorterpanels scored so that the sections 60 may be folded back to beaccommodated in the container.

It is believed that the invention has been described in detailsufficient to enable same to be understood and practiced by the skilledartisan. In describing the partition 10 it has been necessary to alludeto specifications of size, arrangement, proportion and constructionwhich it is contemplated should not be construed to unnecessarily limitthe broad principles of the invention set forth in the claims appendedhereto.

What it is desired to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A partition structure of the character described comprising, aunitary assemblage of substantially rectangular upright panel membersarranged in a substantially cruciform configuration, said assemblageincluding two pairs of panel members each having the panels thereofconjoined along a side edge of each in right angular disposition onerelative the other, said pairs of conjoined panels being integrallyconnected along a line of fold arranged in the vertical plane common toa pair of individual panels and substantially normal to the plane oftheother individual panels, said line of fold coinciding with the upperedges of said co-planar panels and the other panels of said pairs beingseparable one relative the other.

2. A partition structure as described in claim 1 in which there is anintermediate body portion connecting said first mentioned pair ofindividual panels at corners thereof and said line of fold is providedin said body portion.

3. A pre-formed blank for providing a partition structure adapted to bevertically arranged on the interior of a container for dividing sameinto a plurality of separated compartments comprising, a substantiallyrectangular sheet of flexible material having a pair of lines of foldand a pair of slits therein sub-dividing said blank into quadrantsdefining panel members, said lines of fold being aligned one with theother and each slit opening at one end thereof to a side edge of saidsheet, the inner extremities respectively of said lines of fold beingspaced one from the other, each slit having its opposite end connectedwith a respective said extremity, each panel being thereby conjoinedwith one adjacent panel along a said line of fold and separated fromanother adjacent panel by a said slit, each pair of conjoined panelshaving a panel thereof connected with a panel of the second pair ofconjoined panels by an intermediate portion of said sheet member betweensaid spaced apart extremities, said intermediate portion having a scoredfold line extending between said slits, each slit including a straightportion and an angularly offset portion, said angularly offset portionsbeing parallel one with the other and said lines ofV fold beingsubstantially perpendicular to said straight portions.

4. A partition structure for installation in acontainer to separate sameinto individual compartments, said structure being formed from anintegral, pre-formed blank of a ilexible material and comprising, across-like arrangement of conjoined substantially rectangular panels,there being a first pair of panels arranged in a common vertical planeand connected together along a line of fold coincident with alignedhorizontally extending edges of said first pair, and a second pair ofpanels each of which is connected along av vertically arranged line offold with an edge of one panel of said rst pair and at a right anglethereto, said right-angle connected panels being pivotal togetherrelative one another on an axis dened by said horizontally arranged lineof fold.

5. A structure as described in claim 4 in which there is an intermediatebody portion comprised of a pair of substantially triangular-shapedsegments conjoined edgewise along said line of fold, each pair of rightangle connected panels is connected to a said segment and the segmentsare disposed on opposite sides of said common vertical plane.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

